Wordless Wednesday

Even more great news!

I'm still in the running for a Fullbright! I received this e-mail the other night, and was ecstatic to see that I was still being considered. As expected, there are more applicants than grants, so I won't know for a bit (until they hear from my host country) about whether or not I was accepted. But even getting this far is a huge accomplishment, and my fingers are crossed!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Great news!

Not only is the blog going to make a comeback this 2012, but it's starting off on the right foot.

My thesis was accepted to the PCA/ACA conference! Needless to say, this was the best Christmas present that I could have asked for:

Needless to say, I still have a lot of work to do before I feel as though my ideas will be ready to present, but I'm terribly excited so far.

More updates and discussions to come, and soon! (I promise).

Submission!

I've unfortunately neglected to the blog for quite some time due to an overwhelming amount of academic work combined with my regular work schedule. But I return with good news, having just submitted my abstract to the PCA/ACA conference with a few fellow classmates in hopes of presenting our papers on a panel together. We're all working diligently on our theses, and have submitted a panel on deconstructing ideologies. My abstract is as follows:

“I’m Finished!":

The Collapsing Battle Between Religion & Capitalism in There Will Be Blood

Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood, very loosely based on Upton Sinclair’s Oil! (1927), reflects on an age-old and ever-relevant struggle between capitalism and religion. Although at surface level the main characters Daniel Plainview and Eli Sunday appear to symbolize and embody this struggle, upon closer inspection the relationships between both these characters and ideologies are rife with contradictions and complications. As Daniel himself proposes to be a force of good for the towns he imperializes with his industry, his alienation and fierce individualism ultimately lead to his moral demise and consequential willingness to gain financial success at any cost--even the loss of his own son. As for Eli, his initial religious associations that appear to put his desire for capitalistic gain in a positive light prove to be little else than a front masking his own greed and desire for power. Throughout the movie, the antagonistic relationship between both capitalism and religion plays out between these two main characters, suggesting that although they appear analogous and at first profit off of one another, their complications elucidate that they cannot peacefully coexist.

In other news, I've taken the GREs, but have yet to apply to any programs. I'm still deciding if grad school is really what I want to do next year (I don't think it is). I just need to push through until the end of the semester, when I can really start focusing on those applications and getting my piece into my editor. May the end of this semester bring little stress and much academic focus!

Be better than yourself.

As I trudge through these last few weeks of the semester, overwhelmed by meaningless assignments, GRE study notecards and grad school applications, I am inspired (as always) by a writer. My quote for today (or most likely this month):

‎"Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ― William Faulkner

It's a quote that has inspired me always, but every now and then I re-discover it and it serves me well. So here's to a triumphant push through all of my work, my papers, my chores, and a positive end to this semester.